Red Army soldiers march in Moscow in 1949. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS

September 23, 2013

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Sept. 23, 1944: Cruising towards his third re-election, President Roosevelt defended Republican attacks on his dog, Fala. Republicans charged that FDR left Fala behind on a trip to Alaska and sent a Navy destroyer to retrieve the dog, at a cost of $20 million.

Sept. 23, 1949: President Truman announced that the Soviet Union had tested an atomic bomb, ending America's monopoly on nuclear weapons. The Soviets, of course, had stolen U.S. atomic secrets, helping Moscow to speed its own production of the bomb.

Quote of the day

"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all." — George Washington